Written Answers Thursday 4 March 2010

Scottish Executive

Carers

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress there has been in achieving parity in levels of kinship carer payments with that of foster carers by 2011.

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is commited to achieving parity in levels of kinship carer payments with that of foster carers by 2011.

Adam Ingram: The level of kinship care payments are the responsibility of local authorities. The Scottish Government recognises progress so far on delivering kinship care payments as making a major and satisfactory contribution to the concordat commitment. The Scottish Government is committed to working with local authorities to ensure that kinship carers receive the support they need.

Carers

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been given to local authorities on achieving parity in levels of kinship carer payments with that of foster carers by 2011.

Adam Ingram: A commitment to treat kinship carers of looked after children on an equivalent basis to foster carers is set out in the concordat between the Scottish Government and Local Government. Regulation 33 of the Looked After Children (Scotland) Regulations 2009 creates the framework for local authorities to pay foster care and kinship care allowances. Local authorities are best placed to decide how to achieve the commitment in the context of local needs and priorities and taking account of the carer’s overall financial circumstances, which can be affected by the payment of a kinship care allowance.

  Guidance to local authorities on the regulations will be published during 2010 to replace earlier interim guidance. Neither of these have the aim of setting the level of allowances for either foster care or kinship care.

Carers

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress there has been in its discussions with the Department for Work and Pensions on the impact of kinship carer payments on welfare benefits.

Adam Ingram: Discussions between the Scottish Government and the UK Government resulted in recognition of the issue facing Kinship Carers in the recently published Support for All: the Families and Relationships Green Paper (Cm 7787), presented to House of Commons by the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on 20 January 2010. This includes a proposal to "explore with stakeholders the difficulties experienced by family and friends carers and how to help them to access the support they need" (paragraph 6.6).

  Scottish ministers welcome this and intend to make use of this opportunity to ensure that kinship carers receive the support they need.

Drug Misuse

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many adults in Fife reported ever using drugs in crime and justice surveys in the last three years, broken down by type of drug.

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many adults in Fife reported using drugs in the last month in crime and justice surveys in the last three years, broken down by type of drug.

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many adults in Fife reported using drugs in the last year in crime and justice surveys in the last three years, broken down by type of drug.

Fergus Ewing: The 2008-09 Scottish Crime and Justice Survey provides the following information on illicit drug use in Fife. The following estimates are based on self-reported data, gathered through a household survey, on illicit drug use amongst adults in the general population aged 16 years and over in Scotland.

  

 
 
 Self-Reported use at any Point in Lifetime
 Self-Reported use in the year Prior to Survey Interview
 Self-Reported use in the Month Prior to Survey Interview


 Estimated Number in Fife
 Estimated % of Adults in Fife
 Estimated Number in Fife
 Estimated % of Adults in Fife
 Estimated Number in Fife
 Estimated % of Adults in Fife


 Amphetamine
 21,000
 7.0%
 2,000
 0.6%
 1,000
 0.2%


 Cannabis
 62,000
 21.0%
 17,000
 5.7%
 9,000
 2.9%


 Cocaine
 13,000
 4.4%
 5,000
 1.7%
 2,000
 0.7%


 Crack
 1,000
 0.3%
 -
 -
 -
 -


 Ecstasy
 18,000
 6.1%
 3,000
 1.2%
 2,000
 0.6%


 Heroin
 1,000
 0.5%
 -
 -
 -
 -


 LSD
 12,000
 3.9%
 *
 0.1%
 *
 0.1%


 Magic Mushrooms
 16,000
 5.3%
 *
 0.1%
 *
 0.1%


 Methadone/Physeptone
 1,000
 0.2%
 -
 -
 -
 -


 Temazepam
 8,000
 2.6%
 1,000
 0.3%
 *
 0.1%


 Valium
 14,000
 4.6%
 1,000
 0.5%
 1,000
 0.3%


 Anabolic Steroids
 3,000
 1.0%
 1,000
 0.2%
 1,000
 0.2%


 Poppers
 20,000
 6.6%
 1,000
 0.5%
 1,000
 0.3%


 Crystal Meth
 1,000
 0.3%
 -
 -
 -
 -


 Ketamine
 3,000
 1.0%
 1,000
 0.3%
 *
 0.1%


 Glues, Solvents, Gas or Aerosols
 5,000
 1.8%
 -
 -
 -
 -


 NET: Yes - taken any drug
 73,000
 24.5%
 19,000
 6.5%
 10,000
 3.4%


 NET: No - not ever taken drugs
 224,000
 75.5%
 277,000
 93.5%
 287,000
 96.6%



  Source: Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2008-09 (Fife: 999 respondents).

  Notes:

  * Indicates that data are not available in data tables as unweighted base is below 50.

  - Indicates that no respondents gave an answer in the category.

Environment

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will participate in the Earth Hour event taking place at 8.30 pm on 27 March 2010.

Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government will take action to support Earth Hour by switching off all non-essential lighting, as far as possible, across its core estate, at 8.30pm on Saturday 27 March 2010. We will also encourage widespread participation in the event across Scotland and are providing support to WWF Scotland to assist them promote the event nationally.

Fair Trade

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will commit to increasing the number and widening the range of fair trade products used by its catering services.

John Swinney: We seek to provide a range of Fairtrade and ethically traded products through our catering service. We currently offer a number of items including coffee, tea, sugar, confectionery, orange juice and bananas. To widen the service provision new products are regularly trialled and retained if there is the necessary demand.

Foster Care

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the levels of foster care payments were in each local authority in 2009.

Adam Ingram: Information on levels of foster care payments is not held centrally.

Health

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether electrocardiographs are routinely interpreted by junior doctors without reference to senior doctors.

Nicola Sturgeon: It is generally accepted that junior doctors who are experienced at interpreting electrocardiographs (ECGs) may do so without referring to more senior doctors.

  Doctors who are less confident or experienced in interpreting cardiographs may, at any point, ask a more senior doctor for advice.

Health

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-30936 by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 January 2010, whether the proportionate funding will be based on the number of people affected by thalidomide in Scotland or an amount calculated under the Barnett Formula.

Nicola Sturgeon: Following discussions with the Thalidomide Trust the Scottish Government has committed £3.4 million to assist the survivors of Thalidomide. This funding is proportionate to the funding committed by the UK, Welsh and Irish Governments, and is based on the 55 thalidomiders living in Scotland.

Health

Iain Smith (North East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the UK Government on reciprocal health agreements with the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

Nicola Sturgeon: The end of the reciprocal health agreements with the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, which were entered into many years before devolution, is primarily a matter for the UK Government.

  Scottish Government officials have, however, had discussions with their counterparts in the Department of Health about the decisions to end the agreements and what this means for Scotland.

  In April 2009 I was approached by Edward Teare, the Minister for Health and Social Security in the Manx Government, about the possibility of entering into a health agreement with the Isle of Man. At that time I said that I would be interested to learn more of this proposal, with the understanding that any treatment would be on the basis of need for which arose during a visit to the Isle of Man or Scotland, and that no exchange of public funds could take place. The Manx Government has not been in touch since then.

  I have considered the implications for Scotland and, given the limited impact, have concluded that there is no compelling reason to make representations to the UK Government about the continuation of the reciprocal health arrangements.

  Regardless of whether reciprocal health arrangements are in place between home and host countries, people should always make appropriate medical insurance arrangements before they travel overseas.

Health

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-30744 by Nicola Sturgeon on 26 January 2010, how much will be spent by NHS Health Scotland on corporate communications activity.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government can confirm that NHS Health Scotland’s corporate communications activity for external audiences is central to their role in disseminating and explaining public health improvement and health inequalities evidence, learning and good practice to professionals. These include professionals who are responsible for delivering campaign messages on the ground – such as frontline staff and decision-makers in NHS health boards, Community Health Partnerships, local and central government, community and voluntary organisations, Royal Colleges, and health improvement agencies across the UK and internationally – as well as the media and politicians. They do this through their stakeholder newsletter, briefings and corporate reports. They have budgeted £30,000 for this work in 2010-11.

Healthcare Associated Infection

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what specific actions are recommended to prevent the spread of norovirus and when these actions were last reviewed.

Nicola Sturgeon: Good hygiene can help limit the spread of the norovirus infection, and to ensure best practice in the prevention and treatment of norovirus outbreaks in health boards Health Protection Scotland (HPS) published, on 1 December 2009, revised guidance on norovirus outbreak: control measures and practical considerations for optimal patient safety and service continuation in hospitals. Details are available on their website at:

  http://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/haiic/ic/publicationsdetail.aspx?id=43440.

  HPS have also published the following guidelines specifically aimed at non health board communities vulnerable to norovirus outbreaks.

  14 March 2005: Infection Control In Adult Care Homes: Final Standards.

  1 April 2005: The identification and management of outbreaks of norovirus infection in tourists and leisure industry settings. Guide for NHS boards and local authorities.

  1 December 2006: Guidance on Infection Control in Schools and other Child Care Settings.

  1 August 2007: Guidance for the management of norovirus infection in cruise ships.

  NHS boards health protection teams will respond to norovirus outbreaks in the community and give advice, and one of their roles is to exclude other gastrointestinal pathogens. As well as guidance on the prevention and treatment of noroviruses the importance of hand hygiene in preventing infections spreading has been promoted with the following guidance and campaigns:

  January 2007: Germs. Wash your hands of them - Scotland’s Hand Hygiene Campaign, Germs. Wash your hands of them, with the aim of reducing avoidable illness amongst staff, patients and the general public.

  August 2009 – the Scottish Government’s national hand hygiene campaign was launched with a campaign pack sent to every nursery and primary school.

  1 September 2009: Hand Hygiene - Standard Infection Control Precautions – HPS publication.

Higher Education

Joe FitzPatrick (Dundee West) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the impact that the lack of co-operation with MSPs by the UK Border Agency is having on research on life sciences being carried out in Scotland’s universities.

Michael Russell: I am aware of the UK Border Agency’s procedures in relation to MSPs’ letters and the related problems in attracting international researchers. I am seriously concerned about this and the potential impact on Scotland’s international reputation for excellent research. I have therefore asked my officials to liaise with the UK Border Agency in an attempt to resolve these problems.

  This is yet another example of the UK Government’s poor communication on immigration issues. For instance, yesterday’s changes for international students were implemented without any consultation with Scottish ministers. Not only do I disagree with the changes, it is unacceptable that the Scottish Government was not consulted.

Homelessness

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether ex-service personnel are a priority category for housing under homelessness legislation and whether it intends to legislate further on this issue.

Alex Neil: Under Scottish homelessness legislation, a person who is vulnerable as a result of having been discharged from any part of the regular armed forces should be treated as in priority need. The 2012 target will mean that all those considered unintentionally homeless, not just those also in priority need, will have the right to settled accommodation. The current housing bill contains an amendment to the homelessness legislation which will enable ex service personnel to form a local connection through employment or residence in the area. Existing legislation prevents this happening.

Homelessness

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it monitors the treatment of ex-service personnel by local authorities under homelessness legislation.

Alex Neil: The Scottish Government monitors homelessness applications from ex service personnel through the statistical return from local authorities. There are several questions relating to homeless applicants’ circumstances which allow the Scottish Government to analyse local authority decisions for those who were formerly in the armed services. Detail is published in twice yearly homelessness statistics available on the Scottish Government’s website.

Mental Health

Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities are investing in school-based mental health provision such as that provided by The Place2Be in 10 primary schools in Edinburgh.

Adam Ingram: This information is not held by the Scottish Government.

  It is for local authorities and their partners in NHS boards to design and determine the level of services provided to meet the needs of children and young people who require access to mental health provisions and service, based on local priorities and clinical need.

National Health Service

Bill Wilson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will encourage other NHS boards to adopt disability leave policies similar to that of NHS 24.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Disability Policy developed by NHS 24 is currently being piloted and the results of this pilot will be fed back to the rest of NHSScotland in due course.

  NHS boards have the autonomy to adopt policies which are appropriate to local need. NHSScotland has a range of progressive policies in place to protect and improve the health and wellbeing of its workforce and NHS boards are actively working in partnership with their staff to achieve sustained improvements in attendance rates.

Prison Service

Aileen Campbell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration is given to the good behaviour of an offender in prison when decisions are made regarding parole or early release.

Kenny MacAskill: The prisoner’s conduct since the date of sentence is one of a number of matters taken into consideration by the parole board when making decisions regarding early release on parole.

Renewable Energy

Christopher Harvie (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made toward creating a task force for co-ordinating marine renewables construction and transmission over the next five years.

Jim Mather: A number of joint industry and public sector groups are already working on a range of activities aimed at accelerating the development of the offshore wind and wave and tidal energy sectors. For example, the Offshore Wind Industry Group and Pentland Firth Delivery Group are tackling important issues such as supply chain development, finance, skills, planning and grid infrastructure. Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise are leading the National Renewables Infrastructure Plan which takes a strategic approach to the development of the port, harbour and manufacturing facilities that will be required to grow Scotland’s offshore renewable industry. We will shortly make an announcement on the coordination of all of this activity under the chairmanship of Sandy Cumming.

Renewable Energy

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the habitats regulations apply to the National Renewables Infrastructure Plan and, if so, what consideration was given to the implications of the plan on Natura 2000 sites.

Jim Mather: The Scottish Government will be working with Scottish Enterprise who will be undertaking the necessary environmental assessment work including screening, to identify the need for an appropriate assessment of the developing National Renewables Infrastructure Plan, should it have any likely significant effects on Natura 2000 sites.

Social Care

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding is available to (a) public, (b) voluntary and (c) private sector care providers to deliver workforce development.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what budget has been set aside for each of the next three years to cover the cost of skills development in social care.

Adam Ingram: Social service employers have primary responsibility for skills development in their workforce, linked to requirements set by the Scottish Social Services Council (the council). To support what is done at local level, the Scottish Government has set aside a budget of £30 million in 2010-11. This includes funding for: the council; four learning networks to support delivery of regional learning and development priorities across all sectors of the workforce; four centres for excellence raising skills in key sectors of the workforce; development and promotion of Social Services Knowledge Scotland, an integrated portal providing national access to information and learning resources; development of a Social Services Managed Knowledge Network integrating health and social care learning; work by the Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services to promote evidence-based practice and personalisation, and finally tools and activity to build effective leadership across the sector. This does not include resources that are provided by other parts of the Scottish Government to support skills development arising from specific policy objectives.

  Funding beyond 2010-11 is not known as this will be subject to the next spending review.

Social Care

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) initiatives, (b) campaigns and (c) policy directives relating to the development of capacity of social care providers it has undertaken or introduced since 2007.

Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government has undertaken a range of activities to support the development of capacity of social care providers.

  An example in the third sector is the investment of £4 million over 2009-11 to charities from local, regional and national play organisations, through the Go Play programme, which is being managed and administered by Inspiring Scotland. The aims of the programme are to help the play sector in Scotland grow and offer increased opportunities for play to children aged five to 13 years as well as tackling health inequalities through play, outdoor play and physical activity. Inspiring Scotland will bring in additional resources to build the capacity of the play sector through pro bono support from the private sector. It will also work with organisations to build their funding in the longer term from a variety of sources including local authorities, trusts and foundations and engagement with the broader philanthropic world.

  The Scottish Government also awards grants annually to a range of voluntary organisations that contribute to the delivery of our priorities for community care. Over £3 million has been awarded for 2010-11 and many of the grants awarded will contribute to the capacity of the voluntary social care providers concerned. A further £2 million has been awarded for 2010-11 to the voluntary sector for training.

  Social care provision is often delivered jointly across health and local authorities involving a range of service providers. Working with stakeholders, the Community Care Outcomes Framework was developed in answer to calls from local partnerships who wanted an outcome-focussed approach to monitoring and improving joint performance in community care. By focussing on six complementary themes, the framework emphasises improving whole system performance across the broad spectrum of community care services. Midlothian Community Care Partnership has been funded to develop an independent Scottish Community Care Benchmarking Network, using the Framework to scrutinise and compare local performance. All Community Care Partnerships are choosing to use some or all of the Community Care Outcomes Framework so that they can understand their own performance better, and compare it with relevant benchmarking partners in order to identify opportunities for improvement.

  To help improve the capacity to meet the needs and expectations of the Scottish public, and also contribute to improved health and social care outcomes for people using services, an Integrated Resource Framework (IRF) is being developed by the Scottish Government, NHSScotland and COSLA. This seeks to shift the balance of care and improve outcomes for people by working in a more integrated way within the NHS and across health and social care. Through identifying what resources are currently being spent and where, and whether or not this could be improved, local partners will be better placed to arrange the optimum configuration of future health and adult social care.

  A joint capacity building programme is being developed by the Scottish Government and the Improvement Service to assist and support Community Planning Partnerships in delivering the local outcomes in SOAs, with a particular focus on achieving a shift towards early intervention and prevention in the delivery of public services. This programme will build on existing approaches, tools and techniques.

  The Scottish Government also supports building capacity of providers in more indirect ways. For example, in June 2008 the National Care Standards Awareness Raising Campaign was launched. The campaign focuses on making older people aware of the Standards and how they are used. It fulfilled the commitment in the All Our Futures: Planning for a Scotland with an Ageing Population. The campaign included TV and radio ads and a touring theatre production explaining the importance of the Standards which visited care homes and day centres. The final phase is running now and is aimed at people who receive care in their own homes and the care services that provide their care. Although not directly targeted at social care providers’ capacity, it should contribute indirectly to them improving the quality of service they provide.

  Similarly the establishment of the Multi-Agency Resource Service, the Scottish Child Care and Protection Network and the National Coordinator for Child Protection Committees increase the resources, skills and experience available to service providers and practitioners as do the wide range of activities to develop a confident, competent and valued workforce.

  I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-31550 and S3W-31552 on 4 March 2010 which also provide relevant information. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Social Care

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it plans to take to ensure that a cultural shift as described in Changing Lives: Report of the 21st Century Social Work Review becomes a reality.

Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government’s continuing focus on outcomes through the concordat, single outcome agreements and national policies, contribute to the culture change required to realise the ambitions of the Changing Lives report. Working with key stakeholders and partners, we continue to develop and embed tools and approaches which support a confident, competent and valued workforce and the personalisation of services to improve outcomes for individuals, families and communities. This includes supporting the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) work with employers to embed the Continuous Learning Framework which focuses on four key areas including the organisational capabilities which describe the culture and conditions in the workplace that enable social service workers to be the best they can be; a self-evaluation guide from the Social Work Inspection Agency focussing on the achievement of outcomes for people who use services, carers and the wider community; driving forward the leadership agenda through collaboration with the SSSC and four Social Services Learning Networks; supporting the Association of Directors of Social Work to take forward the key aspirations of the Changing Lives report, especially in relation to what is needed to deliver personalised support and services and also supporting work they are doing with Local Practitioners Fora.

Social Care

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to raise awareness of the growing demand for care and support and the future requirement for more trained staff able to provide such support.

Adam Ingram: In response to concerns about the sustainability and fairness of current and future care for older people in the face of financial and demographic pressures, a major work programme – Reshaping Care for Older People – is being taken forward in partnership with NHSScotland and COSLA through the Ministerial Strategic Group on Health and Community Care.

  The programme aspires to develop practical ideas for change that are sufficiently radical to meet the changing needs of Scotland’s population by enabling people to stay at home or in a homely setting, with maximum independence, for as long as possible. A key aim is to ensure that service providers can respond effectively to future demand for services, and this work will have far-reaching and important implications for the workforce as a whole and for those who design, deliver and manage these services. An Integrated Resource Framework is also being developed and tested across four sites in Scotland, from which evidence is being gathered about how resources can be used most effectively across health and social care.

  So far the programme has focussed on discussion with colleagues with a professional and clinical interest in delivering services for older people. As part of a wider engagement process and to further analyse and develop these proposals, the programme will from March 2010 until the summer seek views from the public and from a wider range of stakeholders including patients, service users and service providers.

Waste Management

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken by the Scottish Futures Trust in relation to delivering the new Zero Waste Plan.

Richard Lochhead: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-31725 on 4 March 2010, for details of the actions Scottish Futures Trust is taking to support local authorities in developing and delivering solutions to meet the EU Landfill Directive targets and the emerging requirements of Scottish Government’s Zero Waste Plan.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Waste Management

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what support the Scottish Futures Trust has given to support councils to develop waste management facilities.

Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) has been invited by Glasgow City Council, North, South and East Ayrshire Councils, West Lothian Council, Edinburgh and Midlothian Council and North Lanarkshire Council to support the development and delivery of their residual waste treatment projects.

  For Glasgow, the North, East and South Ayrshire collaborative project and the Edinburgh and Midlothian collaborative project, SFT has been invited to sit on the project board and to work alongside the Council’s project teams. Together these projects deal with more than a quarter of Scotland’s residual waste.

  For West Lothian Council, SFT has been invited to undertake independent peer reviews at key milestones during procurement as well as being a centre of expertise resource for the project team.

  For North Lanarkshire Council, discussions are at an early stage to determine how best the SFT can support the Council’s project team.

  In addition to the above, SFT is also undertaking a number of actions in partnership with COSLA, SOLACE and the Scottish Government. With COSLA, SFT is working on a data collection exercise to enable the public and private sector to have a clearer picture as to the individual waste infrastructure plans of each of the 32 local authorities to meet both landfill diversion and recycling targets. With SOLACE, SFT has been asked to facilitate future discussions as to how best those local authorities, not currently in procurement, could deliver their future waste infrastructure requirements.

  SFT has also initiated, as part of the development of its centre of expertise role, a waste procurement forum to share and disseminate best practice and lessons learnt and set up a training session for local authority waste officers on commercial issues relating to residual waste projects.

Waste Management

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review legislation in relation to wheelie bins being left permanently on pavements.

Richard Lochhead: Scottish Government has no plans to review legislation in relation to wheelie bins left permanently on pavements. Local authorities have the power to issue notices and fixed penalties under Section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act (1990) and there has been no indication from local authorities that this provision is insufficient in tackling this issue.

Waste Management

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the powers available to local authorities in relation to wheelie bins being left permanently on pavements.

Richard Lochhead: Scottish Government has made no assessment of the powers available to local authorities in relation to wheelie bins left permanently on pavements. Local authorities have the power to issue notices and fixed penalties under Section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act (1990) and there has been no indication from local authorities that this provision is insufficient in tackling this issue.